Whether you just like tinkering in your basement, or you want a portable toolkit that can go wherever your projects go, this portable toolkit, made from a few affordable tools and a repurposed CD wallet, definitely does the trick. Cognitive robotics student Mário Saleiro needed just such a kit, and managed to get a set of pliers, a portable screwdriver, a utility knife, and more into this old CD wallet, complete with padding to keep it all safe, all for less than the equivalent of $30 USD.

The full list of components Mário used are over at his blog, but suffice to say most of us probably have an old CD case lying around that could use a new life. He snagged an old exercise mat that he cut small segments out of to make the padding for his tools, bought some elastic to hold his tools in place, and carved out space for his screwdriver, bits, pliers, knife, multimeter, and breadboard so they all fit neatly.

The whole thing cost him about 25 EUR, which is just shy of $30 USD, but your mileage will vary depending on the prices you can find for the same components, or what you may already have at home. Either way, it's a great little kit for someone tinkering with electronics, definitely portable, and easy enough to replicate at home. What do you think? How would you improve on his design? Any tools you would swap out? Let us know in the comments.